I began
getting into Rush in the 70's because a friend's teenage brother was heavily into them.
Of course at that time, Kiss and Aerosmith were my main fascinations, so it wasn't until "Moving Pictures" that
I started getting into them more heavily. Always wondered it Geddy Lee had a secret
oxygen mask hidden somewhere that would continually feed him helium instead
of air. Hmm...

The only Rush album to
not feature extraordinary drummer Neil Peart, so it goes without saying that
this is more of a straight forward 70's heavy metal album. "Working Man"
is one of the few that stands the test of time well.

Still straight forward
hard rock/heavy metal, but with Neil Peart adding his unique drumming talents and lyrical
skills, this album had a bit more creativity. A great album from beginning to
end. Still ranks at the top of the Rush catalog.

The third album for Rush is more complex and slightly heavier than anything they had recorded previously. "Caress of Steel" is arguably Rush's first fully-explored prog rock album. The album has two brilliant extended tracks which are the central focus of the album; the nearly thirteen-minute "The Necromancer" and the twenty-minute "The Fountain of Lamneth", which takes up all of side two of the record. Of the more succinct tracks, the opening number "Bastille Day" is a heavy song and one of the band's finest. "Lakeside Park" is more subdued but an equally classic Rush song. For the most part the songs are technical and not immediatley catchy, save for perhaps the witty "I Think I'm Going Bald". This may be the reason that the album initially failed to chart. However, many Rush fans including myself find it to be one of their finest moments and most underrated albums.

To many, 2112 is the ultimate
Rush album. Regardless of where Rush fans place this in their list of favorites,
"2112" stands as one of the great albums of the 1970's prog-rock era. It the
epic, twenty minute long title track were the only song on the CD, it would
still be a great album. This song is a rock opera of sorts that is inspired
by Ayn Rand's "Anthem". If I hadn't been doing a bit of homework for this review,
quite frankly, I never would have known this. The topic of the song has always
taken a back seat to the music itself. As a matter of fact, I owed this on vinyl
in the 70's, on cassette in the 80's and now on CD and it wasn't until recently
that I even knew this bit of information about the storyline. The song takes
the listener through many different emotions and textures. It contains everything
from moody, acoustic pieces ("Oracle") to early heavy metal ("The Temples of
Syrinx"). Back when I had this one CD, this epic track took up all of side one
of the record and would quite often be the only part I would play. However,
that is not to say the rest of the CD isn't good. As a matter of fact, track
two, "A Passage to Bangkok" is one of the band's best known tracks. I've read
countless reviews and heard many people cap on Geddy Lee's vocals. Personally,
I've always like Lee's charismatic, expressive and defining vocals and felt
they worked well for the band. "2112" is a great album by an innovative power
trio and the title cut is an epic progressive rock masterwork. This is a classic
album in every sense of the word.

My mom bought me this "gold disc edition" for my birthday one year. It's been
remastered and according to reviews I read sounds superior to the original CD
release. OK, since I have nothing to compare it to, I'll give 'em that.

An awesome live offering
that proves that Rush are just as proficient on the stage as they were in the
studio. I love the heavier sound and the energy captured on tape. "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" has to be one of the heaviest progressive rock songs to come out of the 70's.

I have the "master series" that includes "What You're
Doing," a song originally deleted from the CD version for some strange
reason.

This was the first Rush
album I had ever heard. I was just a grade school kid, but I remember I thought
the cover was ultra cool at the time. Still think it's a cool cover. The music
on this disc is nothing short of fantastic. Rush are really engaging in fantasy
themes now. If this were the only album Rush ever released, I still would think
they were one of the greatest band's ever.

I never got into this one
until years after it was released because I was just a kid and did not have
access to it. It wasn't until after I bought "Moving Pictures" that
I went back and started buying all the older albums. In any case, this is another
excellent album. Rush were at their prime here.

Still in top form here,
Rush begins to feel the effects of radio air play for the first time with "The
Spirit of the Radio." (Hey, is that a coincidence or what?) Unfortunately,
like most bands as they tend to get more popular, selling records becomes the
objective rather than writing creative music. But that is still to come. "Permanent
Waves" is still a great album but is beginning to touch more on the AOR.

My favorite of all Rush's
albums. An absolute masterpiece! "Tom Sawyer" was the song that had
me hooked. From that point on I started collecting all the old Rush albums as
well. Every song on this album is essential!

I have the original CD
pressing of this live album that omits "Passage to Bangkok." Luckily
it is included on "Chronicles" so I am not missing anything, especially
since I only paid $5.99 for this "recycled" disc. In my opinion, this
is one of the greatest live albums of all time, overshadowed only slightly by
"All the World's A Stage." As I have stated before, however, live
albums are usually the end on an era, and that is certainly true of Rush who
would begin a downward spiral in to radio pop and worse in the future. Shame
really as everything up to this point was absolute brilliance.

Hmmm, totally lost interest
with Rush for these 80s pop-rock, keyboard infested, AOR albums. All the albums
from here one, with the exception of the wonderful "Test for Echos,"
I bought cheap and used. Like many of the great 70's bands, the 80's totally
ruined them with the overly glossy productions and pop oriented music. Still,
I look back on this album a bit more fondly now and occasionally pull it out
and give it a listen. "Subdivisions" was a big hit for the band.

Rush were hugely popular
at this time, but I had all but given up on them ever putting out another masterwork
like "Moving Pictures" or "2112." Once again, I pull out
this one occasionally and give it a spin but it's far from a favorite. A bit
to pop rock oriented for my taste.

This is one of those Rush
CDs that really disappointed me when it first came out. Honestly, I was put
off at first by the overtly pop leanings, yet for some reason I didn't feel
the same way when I first heard Yes' 90215
or Genesis' Abacab. "Hold Your
Fire" just seems so "light" and "poppy" in comparison to what I had always
loved about Rush in the past. However, with repeated listens and having heard
a few of these songs on the radio over and over again, I must confess that I
now like it quite a bit. Honestly, my big criticism of this CD is the overuse
of keyboards and the mixing back of the guitar wizardry of Alex Lifeson. I can't
help but wonder what these songs would have sounded like with a crunchier, heavier
guitar tone. When Alex hits those power chords in songs like "Time Stand Still"
I cringe at the thin guitar tones. Of course the bass and drums are right out
front with the keys. Neil Peart is as inventive and exciting as he ever was.
The songs here are all pretty light, although around halfway through the album
the mood seems to get a tad darker than the lighter "hit" tracks in the beginning.
All in all, a good Rush album, but one that is so saturated in 80's pop sounds,
it falls a bit short of being one of their best.

While I have kept up with
Rush through the years, none of their "synth period" releases did much for me.
I often get in the mood to hear Rush and when I do I usually grab from something
from the 1970's or early 80's. This period represents the albums that came out
during the 1980's; Signals (1982), Grace Under Pressure (1984), Power Windows
(1985), Hold Your Fire (1987). For that reason, I didn't really put much effort
into picking up this live album that focuses mostly on that 1980's "synth period".
"Show of Hands" is a snapshot into the "Hold Your Fire" tour. Two songs on the
CD, "Mystic Rhythms" and "Witch Hunt" are from the preceding "Power Windows"
tour. Unfortunately I have read that some really great performances from this
tour, such as the "2112"/"La Villa Strangiato" medley, were recorded but not
included on this CD. Frankly I think it would have made for a better list. "A
Show of Hands" just doesn't have the intensity or raw energy that "Exit Stage
Left" or "All the Worlds A Stage Had". Part of the reason for this is the slick,
1980's production. It seemed popular in the 80's to strip the rock 'n' roll
energy right out of records, and I think that is the case here. I'm sure many
Rush die-hards will disagree with my opinion of this live album, but as I see
it, this live CD is a reminder of Rush's worst era.

Rush's 13th release is
actually an enjoyable listen. I have to admit that I don't think anything Rush
has done since "Moving Pictures" has quite matched what they did in
the 1970's. However, I prefer this more ambient, progressive rock sound to the
pop stuff they were doing in the 80's. Alex Lifeson's guitar work is once again
the center, along with solid piano breaks and the thumping bass. "Presto"
still doesn't have that crunchy guitar tone I am longing for but as I stated,
I still find it enjoyable. I am not sure this CD generated any radio hits, but
"Show Don't Tell" is the standout cut on an album that is overall
a very solid album.

With the exception of "Dreamline"
and perhaps "Where's My Thing?" this has to be the worst Rush album
ever released. Neil Peart even attempts to rap in the title track. Argh! Seriously, this disc is powerless, has lifeless songwriting and absolutely nothing
memorable, save for the very cool cover art. Rush seems to be content with cramming
as many notes into a song as possible without thought for melody or memorability.
Even Lifeson's usual stellar guitar playing lacks any real power this time around.
Neil Pert still offers plenty of percussive ballet, but with when put behind
songs that are lacking any power, it matters very little how good the drumming
is. I still count myself as a Rush fan, and perhaps some Rush fans will think
I have committed blasphemy, but honestly, this disc is a filler in my Rush collection
rather than a frequent player in my stereo.

A nice compilation of all
of Rush's releases up until this time. What I like about it is that it includes
the missing live song off "Exit Stage Left" and it has some of the
better songs from the mid to late 80's releases that I do not own. Found it
in perfect shape at a pawn shop for $5.

Well now here is a Rush
album that was worth buying new. Musically more solid that anything they have
done recently. A return to their harder sound with less keyboard pop crap mixed
in. Alex Lifeson must have remembered that he is a great guitar player because
his signature sound is back in place. Took a chance and bought it through the
BMG record club. Geddy Lee sings a hair lower on this record, or maybe it's
just not as high as I remember.

The first Rush album in
six years after the personal tragedies suffered by Neil Peart. (In 1997 his
daughter was killed in a tragic car accident; a year later his wife died of
cancer.) In anycase, despite the long time between studio albums, Vapor Trails
picks up where 'Test for Echo' leaves off. Sounding very little like the Rush
of the 70's or 80's, "Vapor Trails" is a tad bit heavier, a little
bit darker and slightly more on the modern side. As a matter of fact, I was
playing this CD at work and a guy who is fairly familiar with Rush's past catalogue
didn't recognize them. The song writing is certainly on par with what one would
expect from Rush, but to be quite honest, I didn't think the hooks were as apparent
as in the past. As usual Neil Pert writes all the lyrics. He tactfully tackles
the subject of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on "Peaceable Kingdom",
making this song one of the more interesting to me. A welcome return for one
of my favorite veteran bands and with repeated listens I think this one could
become a frequent player. However, I don't I would ever put this on the same
level as their phenomenal 70's and early 80's catalogue.

Awesome! I heard "Summertime's
Blues" on the radio and knew I had to run out and get this CD To celebrate their
30th anniversary, Rush put out this EP of covers, that is surprisingly retro
in both song selection and in sound. "Summertime Blues" is the standout cut
for me. Rush manage to steal the luster of the excellent Who version in my opinion. I especially liked the bass fills in place of some of
the vocals. However, it is also apparent that Rush were paying at least some
homage to the Who's classic "Live
at Leeds" version (either that of Blue Cheer's version, which also
was influenced by "Live at Leeds".) "Heart Full of Soul" is another
standout cut, and is a spectacular cover of the Yardbirds hit. The version
of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth" begins as an acoustic tune but
quickly turns into a heavy, droning rock 'n' roll romp. "The Seeker" once again
pays homage to the Who. This song absolutely
annihilates, although I am not sure I would say it is better than the original.
(That would actually be a hard task to accomplish.) Rush's rendition of "Seven
and Seven Is" is much heavier and faster that Love's original, and personally
I like it better. "Shapes of Things" and "Crossroads" round out the EP nicely.
Rather than go the route of blues, Rush chose to give a rousing nod to the Cream arrangement of Robert Johnson's seminal blues standard. This was $9 well
invested in my opinion as this is a highly enjoyable EP right down to the trippy,
retro album cover and the mini album cover sleeve.

Rush has had a trend of
releasing four studio albums then a live album. With "Rush in Rio" that trend
is broken as it comes after only one studio album. Also, unlike past live albums
that were culled from several different shows and using the best recordings,
"Rio" is a recording of one show. The CD is extended with a pair of recordings
from earlier in the tour of songs not included in the Rio set. The last two
songs recorded at a different show are labeled "The Board Bootlegs"and do appear
on the DVD version of "Rush in Rio." Featured in the set list are four from
"Vapor Trails", three from "Power Windows" and "Permanent Waves", two from three
different albums, and one each from eight records. In other words, Rush offers
a good variety of material here from all their past releases. It does lean a
bit heavily on the more popular "hits", however there are a few gems like "Red
Sector A", "The Pass", "Bravado", and "Natural Science". I also quite enjoyed
the closing medley that included "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", even if it is a
much shorter version of that song than the awesome version of "All the World's
A Stage".

The band's performance
is incredible. I doubt anyone will fault them on their musicianship here. However,
I've read numerous complaints about the recording and/or mix. While it's not
pristine and polished like "Different Stages" or "Exit...Stage Left", I sort
of like the raw, live feel. This is more of what you would probably here had
you attended the "Rio" show. It's also fun to hear such an enthusiastic crowd,
singing along to each and every song. Overall, I find "Rush in Rio" to be a
fantastic listen.

I have been a Rush fan
since the 1970's. I have followed them through the years and have loved and
hated what they have done. Rush have always managed to update their sound to
stay 'relevant' while still sounding like themselves. Their latest offering,
‘Snakes & Arrows’, is no exception. This album offers what you would expect
from Rush, rock music with artistic flair, technical prowess, and full of energy.
However, that is not to say that "Snakes & Arrows" sounds like it was recorded
in the 1970's. Rather, the modern production and even the songwriting is much
more modern.

The lyrical theme of the
disc seems to revolve around Peart's ideas on the nature of "faith". While doing
some research on this album I discovered that Peart wrote a book called "Landscape"
that discusses American Christian fundamentalism in the face of rising Muslim
factions in the Middle East. The lyrics on "Snakes & Arrows" seem to echo these
themes. However, the lyrics are not written in such a way as to harshly attack
people of faith and are written in a much more poetic and non-threatening way.
Lines like those found in "Armor and Sword" express the sentiment, "sometimes
the fortress is too strong or the love is too weak, what should have been armor
becomes a sharp and angry sword. Our better nature seek elevation, a refuge
from the coming night. No one gets to heaven without a fight."

Musically, while I don't
view Snakes And Arrows as being on par with albums like 2112, Hemispheres, and
A Farewell to Kings I do think that Rush has recorded a good album. There are
a total of three instrumentals on this album, that are in my opinion, some of
the best tracks. "The Main Monkey Business" is the a beautiful instrumental
that echoes the classic "La Vila Strangiato" complete with some excellent guitar
solos. "Hope" also gives Alex Lifeson a chance to strut as he performs alone
on a beautiful acoustic piece that has a slight celtic vibe. "Malignant Narcissism"
is a two minute soaring track complete with some superb fretless bass work from
Geddy Lee. The rest of the album is good as well, but I was quite impressed
with the three instrumentals on my first few listens to the CD. I don't recall
Rush ever being much of a blues based band, but they do offer a bit of blues
in "The Way the Wind Blows", while still retaining the signature Rush sound.
Other highlights are "Armor And Sword" and the prog-rocker "Spindrift".

Overall, I wouldn't say
this album is heavy, as acoustic guitars can be heard on nearly every track.
However, "Snakes and Arrows" does offer some solid hard rock. Geddy Lee's trademark
high pitch shrieks have mellowed considerably with age as well. As such, I would
not say that "Snakes & Arrows" was the band's best offering. Personally, I don't
think anything they do will ever top the masterworks they created in the 70's.
It was a different time that cannot be repeated. However, I can say that "Snakes
& Arrows" is a very good album and one that has already seen several plays by
this fan.

"Working Men" is a live compilation from Rush. The CD compiles a short list of career-spanning material pulled from the band's three tours during the 2000s. The selections are from the Vapor Trails Tour, the R30: 30th Anniversary Tour and the Snakes & Arrows Tour. All three tours were documented on CD and DVD in the form of "Rush in Rio" at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2002, "R30" at the Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany in 2004 and "Snakes & Arrows Live" at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2007. The CD features on exclusive track, a live version of "One Little Victory", a song originally on the "Vapor Trails" album. The cover art is clever, representing all three live albums in some way or another.

The material here is a good listen. Rush doesn't disappoint in a live setting. I'm not sure what audience this release is aimed for. A casual fan of the band is only interested in the hits, most of which are not included here and most die-hard fans already have the original three live release. Still, for a quick Rush fix, this is a good listen and I quite enjoyed spinning it in my car at maximum volume. I just don't think it will be a frequent listen.

I've been a Rush fan since I was a kid in grade school in the 70's. I was Kiss fanatic and a fellow Kiss fanatic's older brother turned me onto Rush. For decades I have held those 70's Rush albums in high regard, nearly sacred. The concept album of concept albums was "2112" released back in 1976. Decades later and that album has not only held up well over time, it is a bonafide classic. "Clockwork Angels" is the nineteenth studio album from progressive Rush and is another progressive concept album from the Canuck rockers. (At least I count 19, the sticker on the CD says it's their 20th. I suppose if you count the "Feedback" EP, the it's the 20th.)

"Clockwork Angels" opens with two somewhat familiar songs. The band released these two tracks two years ago and had been performing them live for the past couple years as well. As such they have an air of familiarity and are easily some of the more immediately like-able tracks on the album. Indeed, "Caravan" is an instant Rush classic that will most likely be played in concert for years to come, or for at least as long as Rush trudges forward. The song is marginally heavier than most of what Rush has recorded since the early 80's. Guitarist Alex Lifeson, whose riffs have been gradually becoming more essential to the band's sound since the angular 1980s, lays down a thick mass of musical muscle and some sweet licks. "Clockwork" revives Rush’s prog-rock pedigree. The title track, along with songs like "Caravan" and "Seven Cities Of Gold," are built around tricky signatures and Lee’s heavy, contorted grooves. Actually, "Seven Cities" with it's growling bass opening and progressive tendencies is reminiscent of classic 70's Rush, though with a more modern production and vocal approach. Lee's vocals are notquite as celestial as they once were. The production is thick, heavy and obviously digital. It's more likeable than their late 80's albums, but not quite as warm and energetic as their classic material.

So what of the concept of the album? Frankly for me, I'm less concerned with story lines than I am with music. From what I have read the storyline "centers around a a young man following his dreams and yet struggles with inner and outer forces of order and chaos brought about by his enemy is the Watchmaker.

Overall, "Clockwork Angels" is a good Rush album that should please longtime fans. It took a few listens to begin to really appreciate it. It's definitely not on par with "2112" or those classic 1970's albums, but what band that's been creating music for four decades is releasing music that can topple the nostalgia of their early classics?